Two Chattanooga restaurants fail inspection due to dirty food surfaces, evidence of insects

Two Chattanooga restaurants fail inspection due to dirty food surfaces, evidence of insects

January 10th, 2019by Staff Report in Breaking News

Two Chattanooga restaurants have failed a recent health inspection for a multitude of reasons including evidence of insects and rodents and dirty food contact surfaces.

Jeffersons, located at 618 Georgia Avenue, was cited for evidence of both insects and rodents, dirty utensils and failure to prevent contamination between food prep and storage areas. The person in charge was found to be lacking in food safety knowledge and multiple non-food contact surfaces were dirty, according to the report. The failing score of 69 was later corrected to a 94.

The second restaurant, La Fiesta Mexican Grill located on Hixson Pike, also received a score of 69 for employees not washing hands in between tasks, evidence of insects and failure to dispose of trash. Multiple food and non-food contact surfaces were found to be dirty and the person in charge lacked food safety knowledge, the report states.

The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department inspects restaurants twice a year and grades the businesses on a 100-point scale. Scores below 70 require corrective action.

Restaurants are reinspected if they fail to meet critical standards. To file a health-related complaint, call the Department of Environmental Health at 423-209-8110. The scores are original and do not reflect on-the-spot changes, which sometimes lead to upward adjustments.